A UNESCO librarian is in for the adventure of her life. Hear me out: librarians are cool people. They’re akin to academics, filled with a bastion of specialised information to dish out when you least expect it, plus, they’re masters of order and organisation. But rarely do they ever get a chance to show off these skills and display exactly what they’re capable of when … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Book Review: The Java Enigma by Erni Salleh
Introducing kids to our multilingual society with the help of a bird park. How often do you get to read a children’s book that features more than one language? With Evelyn Sue Wong’s Just A Little Mynah, kids will be introduced to a whopping four languages (English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil), as the first in a new series of picture books to introduce preschoolers and … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Book Review: Just A Little Mynah by Evelyn Sue Wong and Dhanendra Poedjono
An elderly shopkeeper becomes an unlikely superhero in this exciting debut. You know the old adage ‘you can’t teach an old dog new tricks’? Russell Molina and Ian Sta. Maria’s brand new graphic novel Mr Tino blows that wide apart, with a 66-year old sundry store owner as its protagonist. Set in the Philippines, the titular Mr Tino isn’t just an ordinary senior citizen though; on … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Book Review: Mr Tino (Volume 1) by Russell Molina and Ian Sta. Maria
The September school holidays are upon us, and whether you’re a student or not, there’s always time to hunker down with a good book and dive into some of the region’s best new writing. This month, from Epigram, look out for the last of the Epigram Fiction Prize nominees, a brand new multilingual series for children, and a new edition of one of the best … Continue reading By The Book: New Epigram Releases – September 2020
Livestreamed on 27th August 2020, the first ever Singapore Literature Prize (SLP) virtual awards ceremony announced a total of 17 winners across its 20 prize categories, marking several firsts for the country’s most prestigious literary awards ceremony. For the first time in its history, two writers shared the top prize in both the Chinese and English Fiction categories; a female writer won the Poetry … Continue reading By The Book: 2020 Singapore Literature Prize goes to 17 writers and marks several firsts for the awards
The wonderful thing about the Huggs-Epigram Coffee Bookshop, beyond its impressive shelf of books, welcoming atmosphere and author meets, is the fact that they serve coffee. Perfect for spending a chill afternoon at tucked away in a corner with a newly purchased book, the bookshop is now making sure that you have a full meal to go along with it. Now that they’re open again … Continue reading By The Book: Go from Wet Market to Table with new set meal at Huggs-Epigram Coffee Bookshop
Queering Malaysian folklore in a fantastical modern day romp. As the youngest, and first non-Singaporean winner of the annual Epigram Books Fiction Prize, Malaysian writer Joshua Kam has a lot of expectations placed upon his debut novel. But as it turns out, How The Man In Green Saved Pahang, And Possibly The World, meets those expectations as one of the most wildly original and entertaining regional works … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Book Review: How the Man in Green Saved Pahang, and Possibly the World by Joshua Kam
Writers from around the world come together to showcase the diversity of the lived Muslim experience. Scoured from just about every corner of the world over a period of over four years, The Ordinary Chaos of Being Human is a richly diverse collection of short non-fiction that illustrates what it means to be a modern Muslim. With most stories lasting no longer than 10 pages, each … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Book Review: The Ordinary Chaos of Being Human – Tales from Many Muslim Worlds
A freak incident blows open old wounds and dark secrets in this novel about the destruction wreaked by fear and racism. Throughout American history, Asians have always taken the backseat when it comes to discussions of race, with the Black or Latinx community always the minorities featured at the forefront, and their issues prioritised due to their urgency. As the ‘model minority’, Asians still bear … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Book Review: Your House Will Pay by Steph Cha
Anthropomorphic felines star in this action-packed adventure. If you ever wondered what cats get up to when you’re not looking, then let your imagination run wild with Darren Lim’s new Ace Agent Spycat book series, where cats from an international spy organisation save the world, one mission at a time. In the first book of the series, Ace Agent Spycat and the Flying Sidekick, we’re introduced to our … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Book Review: Ace Agent Spycat and the Flying Sidekick by Darren Lim
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